Hello. For my subject, my aim is to use
ancient sources that tell us what weknow about James, and Paul, and to analyze
what they say and see how itmight be of use to the religious minded.
Little is me but the arrangement ofpassages I hope will seem clear and relevant,
and occasional comments.

Have you heard about James the brother
of Jesus?

About his election to succeed Jesus, and
about his death, WE ARE NOTINFORMED BY CANONICAL ACTS. We must go
to other sources. Eusebius ofCaesarea, (260-340 CE), Archbishop under
Constantine, tells us in hisEcclesiastical History that James was
"the Lord's brother, who had beenelected by the Apostles to the episcopal
throne at Jerusalem," (E.H. 2.23).Knowing Jesus would soon depart from them,
his disciples, according to thenon-canonical Gospel of Thomas, asked
him who would lead them, "And Jesussaid to them, 'In the place you are to
go, go to James the Righteous, forwhose sake Heaven and Earth came into
existence,'" (Nag Hammadi, logion 12).Palestinian Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis
(315-404 CE), had access to workshe said were called Anabathmoi Jacobou
-"the Ascents of James"- and theGospel of the Hebrews (used by ancient
Jewish Christians called Ebionites,or 'the Poor', the latter one also known
to Jerome and others), both nowlost, in which "once during a drought,
he [James] lifted his hands to Heavenand prayed, and at once Heaven sent rain...Thus
they no longer called him byhis name, but his name was, rather, the
Righteous One [in Hebrew, 'theZaddik'].

"[T]o James alone, it was allowed
to enter once a year into the Holy of Holies, because he was a Nazirite
and connected to the Priesthood. Hence Mary was related in two ways to
Elizabeth [John the Baptist's mother] and James was a distinguished member
of the Priesthood, because the two tribes alone were linked to one another,
the royal tribe to the priestly," (Panarion 30).

He tells us the "Ascents of James"
was about the discourses James gave fromthe Temple to the Jerusalem masses, and
says that James was "the First towhom the Lord entrusted his throne upon
earth."

Jerome (342-420 CE), basing his account
on Hegesippus, Clement ofAlexandria, and the Jewish historian Josephus,
also knows this when he saysin his Lives of Illustrious Men,
ch. 2, that "He [James] alone enjoyed theprivilige of entering the Holy of Holies,
since, indeed, he did not wearwoolen, but only linen clothes, and went
into the Temple alone and prayed onbehalf of the people, so that his knees
were reputed to have acquired thecallousness of a camel's knees", and that
after Jesus died he "wasimmediately appointed Bishop of Jerusalem
by the Apostles."

Palestinian Jewish Christian Hegesippus
(100-180 CE), portions of whose fivebooks of Church history survive only in
passages cited by Eusebius, tells us"There were many James', but this one...the
Lord's brother...was Holy fromhis birth. Everyone from the Lord's time
till our own has called him theRighteous", and that "[b]ecause of his
unsurpassable Righteousness he wascalled the Righteous and Oblias," the
latter a strange word he describes asmeaning "Bulwark of the People, and Righteousness,"
(E.H. 2.23); forEpiphanius, this means "Wall"; for Eusebius,
"Protection of the People."The second century Syriac 'Apostolic Constitutions'
tell us that James was"the brother of Christ according to the
flesh...and one appointed Bishop ofJerusalem by the Lord Himself," (8.35).

In a passage surviving only in Eusebius,
Clement of Alexandria (150-215 CE)tells us that the "Gift of Knowledge"
was imparted by Jesus to "James theRighteous, to John, and to Peter," and
that these in turn "delivered it to the rest of the Apostles, and they
to the Seventy, of whom Barnabas was one," (E.H. 2.1).

Pope Clement of Rome (30-97 CE), or someone
purporting to be him, addresseshis letter in the non-canonical 'Homilies
of Clement' to "James...the Bishopof Bishops, who rules Jerusalem, the Holy
Assembly of the Hebrews and theAssemblies everywhere," as does Peter
similarly in his Homilies letter.Even Josephus (37-96 CE), who was not
a Christian as we understand it - butwas a contemporary of James - knows about
him, and even insists that James'death was the reason people believed Jerusalem
fell: "These things [theuprising and consequent destruction of
Jerusalem by the Romans] happened tothe Jews in requital for James the Righteous,
who was a brother of Jesusknown as Christ, for though he was the
most Righteous of men, the Jews puthim to death." This passage, remarked
on also by Origen (185-254 CE), andJerome, only exists in Eusebius' E.H.,
Jerome's Commentary on Galatians, andOrigen's letter (Contra Celsus 1.47),
and, interestingly, IS NO LONGEREXTANT IN ANY MANUSCRIPT WE HAVE OF JOSEPHUS.
Commenting on it, Eusebius says,

"So remarkable a person must James
have been, so universally esteemed for Righteousness, that even the most
intelligent of Jews felt this was why his martyrdom was immediately followed
by the siege of Jerusalem," (E.H. 2.23). This contradicts Christian belief
that the Temple fell because of the death of Jesus, as Origen is well aware
in Contra Celsus (same as above). He also tells us that "the wonderful
thing is that, though he [Josephus] did not accept Jesus as Christ, he
yet gave testimony that the Righteousness of James was so great...that
the people thought they had suffered these things on account of [him],"
(Origen's Commentary on Matthew 10.17).

For his part, Jerome, in his Lives, writes
"This same Josephus records thetradition that this James was of so great
Holiness and reputation among thepeople that the destruction of Jerusalem
was believed to have occurred onaccount of his death," and in his Commentary
that "[s]o Holy was James thatthe people zealously tried to touch the
fringes of his garment," (Commentaryon Galatians 1:19, 396); these are the
fringes commanded to be worn byobservant Jews in Numbers 15:38, "so that,
when you see [them], you willremember all the commandments of the Lord
and DO THEM."

"For whose sake Heaven and Earth came into
existence," "Holy from his birth," "the Righteous One," "Bulwark of the
People," Jerusalem falling "on account of his death"... These are strong
words, and not to be lightly dismissed, and are consistent with what ALL
SOURCES SAY ABOUT HIM. It is important to point out that our sources are
not presenting James as just the Head of "Christianity", but the POPULAR
JEWISH LEADER OF HIS DAY, the Zaddik, par excellence, whose death brought
the downfall of Jerusalem, and is in keeping with the notion in Proverbs
(10:25) and the Kabbalah (Zohar 1.59b) that "the Zaddik is the Foundation"
and "the Pillar that upholds the world." Paul understands this when he
speaks in Galatians of going up to Jerusalem and meeting "James, Cephas,
and John, those reputed to be Pillars," (Gal. 2:9), and his attitude towards
them is very, very helpful in determining who is the parallel character
in the Dead Sea Scrolls known as "the Windbag," "the Comedian," "the Spouter
of Lies," "the Man of Scoffing."

Josephus and Hegesippus -and because of
them, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus [160-235 CE], Origen, Eusebius,
Epiphanius, Jerome -even ancient Christian literature recently found in
Nag Hammadi, Egypt(like the lost Gospel of Thomas above) know of James'
death, but not, oddly, Acts. Because Josephus knew of it first hand, it
would seem best to use his account. According to him, when the Roman Governor
died in 62 CE -and the new one was still on the way- Establishment High
Priest Ananus ben Ananus used the occasion to try and execute Jesus' brother
James, because of his role as supreme leader of the Jesus Movement:

"[H]e assembled the Sanhedrin [the 'Supreme
Court'] of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus who was
called Christ, whose name was James, and some of his companions. And when
he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the Law, he delivered
them to be stoned. But those citizens who seemed the most equitable and
THE MOST CAREFUL IN THE OBSERVATION OF THE LAW were offended by this,"
(Antiquities of the Jews20.1).

Two generations later, a more legendary
account is recorded by Hegesippus,with the note that James "proved a true
witness to Jews and Gentiles alikethat Jesus is the Christ," (E.H. 2.23).

"The Assembly of the Lord, which
was constituted in Jerusalem, was most plentifully multiplied and grew,
being governed with the most Righteous ordinances by James," (non-canonical
'Recognitions of Clement' 1.43).

"Our Lord and Prophet, who has
sent us, declared to us that the Evil One [that is, 'the Devil'], having
disputed with him for forty days, but failing to prevail against him, promised
that he would send Apostles from among his subjects to deceive them. Therefore,
above all, remember to shun ANY APOSTLE, TEACHER OR PROPHET WHO DOES NOT
ACCURATELY COMPARE HIS TEACHING WITH JAMES...and this, even if he comes
to you with recommendations," (non-canonical 'Homilies of Clement' 11.35,
Peter preaching at Tripoli).

In the above 'Recognitions' we also
learn of someone named Saul -"one of ourenemies"- who, upon entering the
Temple with a few others while James wasreading and interpreting prophecy concerning
Jesus, "began to cry out," and"while James the Bishop was refuting him"
he "began to drive all into confusion with shouting, and undo what was
arranged with much labor." A riot ensues, "in the midst of which, this
enemy attacked James and threw him headlong from the top of the [Temple]
steps, and, supposing him to be dead, cared not to inflict further violence
upon him."

Though James doesn't die, both his legs
are broken, so "our friends liftedhim up...and we returned to the House
of James, and spent the night there inprayer. Then, before daylight, we went
down to Jericho, to the number offive thousand men [see Acts 4:4]."

Then Saul (like the Saul who becomes Paul
in Acts) "received a commission from Caiaphas, the High Priest...that he
should arrest all who believed in Jesus, and should go to Damascus with
his letters, and that there also, employing the help of unbelievers,
he should make havoc among the faithful, and that he was hastening to Damascus
chiefly on thisaccount," (1.70-71).

Acts:

"As for Saul, he made havoc of
the Church ... and...breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the
Disciples of the Lord, went unto the High Priest, and desired of him letters
to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this Way, whether
they be men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem."

It is on this trip (according to Acts)
that Paul first 'sees Jesus,'but the manner in which he 'proved this
was the Christ' "confoundedthe Jews who dwelled in Damascus," and
that, after this, "the Jews tookcouncil to kill him," watching the gates
"night and day to kill him,"(8:3-9:23).

This is how Paul comes to know the Movement.
For, as he says, "I certify toyou, brothers, that THE GOSPEL WHICH WAS
PREACHED BY ME IS NOT MAN'S GOSPEL, for I DID NOT RECEIVE IT FROM MAN,
NOR WAS I TAUGHT IT, BUT IT CAME THROUGH A REVELATION of Jesus Christ."For
you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Assembly
of God violently and tried to destroy it ... But when he who had set me
apart before I was born, and called me through his Grace, was pleased to
reveal his Son in me ['Jesus Christ'], in order that I might preach himamong the Gentiles, I DID NOT CONFER WITH
FLESH AND BLOOD, NOR DID I GO UP TO THOSE WHO WERE APOSTLES BEFORE ME,
but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after
three years I went up to Jerusalem tovisit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen
days. But I saw none of the otherApostles except James the Lord's brother.
Now the things I am writing toyou, before God, I do not lie. [Continued
below.]

"If you have bitter jealousy and
contentiousness in your heart, do not boastand lie against the Truth. THIS IS NOT
THE WISDOM THAT COMES DOWN FROM ABOVE, but earthly, MAN MADE, DEMONIC ...
He who speaks against his brother and who judges his brother speaks against
the Law and judges the Law. But if you judge the Law, YOU ARE NOT A DOER
OF THE LAW, but a judge," (James 3:5-4:11).

"I communicated to them the Gospel
which I preach among the Gentiles, butprivately to those reckoned to be important,
lest somehow I should berunning or had run in vain.

And because he was advocating 'freedom
from the Law' -as opposed to what heterms 'bondage' to it, he declares his
follower Titus,"who was with me, being a Greek, WAS NOT COMPELLED TO BE
CIRCUMCISED" because of "false brothers secretly brought in to spy out
our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into
bondage. To them we did not yield subjection even for a moment, so that
the truth of the Gospel might continue with you.

"But those who seemed to be important...had
nothing to add to me.

"And when James, Cephas, and John, those
who seemed to be Pillars, perceivedthe Grace that was given to me, they gave
to me and Barnabas the right handsof fellowship, that we should go to the
heathen, and they unto the circumcission. [i.e. They didn't want him around
them.] Only, they asked that we remember the Poor [literally:'the Ebionites'], which is what I was
most forward to do.

"But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed
him to his face, for he stood condemned. For BEFORE CERTAIN MEN CAME FROM
JAMES, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But WHEN THEY CAME he drew back
and separated himself, fearing THE CIRCUMCISSION PARTY. AND WITH THEM THE
REST OF THE JEWS acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away
with their DISIMULATION ... I sawthat they walked not uprightly according
to the truth of the Gospel.

"Knowing that a man is NOT JUSTIFIED BY
WORKS OF THE LAW, but by faith in Jesus Christ...we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, AND NOT BY WORKS
OF THE LAW, FOR BY WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO ONE BE JUSTIFIED ... Even
Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as Righteousness," (all
of the above, Galatians 1:11-3:6).

His followers are rather "justified by
[Jesus'] blood," (Romans 5:9).(In 1 Corithinians 10:16, he bids they
DRINK it.)

Whether Paul is right or wrong is not being
proposed here, only that THIS ISTHE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE TEACHING OF
JAMES, who advises the Gentiles -like God does in Genesis 9:4- TO ABSTAIN
from blood (Acts 15:29), and also, inhis letter, asks, "[D]on't you realize,
YOU VAIN MAN, THAT FAITH WITHOUTWORKS IS USELESS? Was not Abraham our
father justified by works when heoffered his son Isaac on the Altar? You
see that faith was active along withworks, and faith was brought into completion
by the works. And the Scripturewas fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed
God, and it was reckoned to himas Righteousness.'

"WHAT DOES IT PROFIT, MY BROTHERS,
IF A MAN SAYS HE HAS FAITH, AND DOESN'T HAVE WORKS? CAN FAITH SAVE HIM?
If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of
you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them
the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself,
if it doesn't have works, is dead," (James 2:14-23).

"If any man among you seems to
be religious, and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart,
this man's religion is vain," (James 1:26).

"I bear them ['Israel'] record that
they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For THEY, BEING
IGNORANT OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS and going about to establish their own,
have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God, for CHRIST IS
THE END OF THE LAW," (Romans 9:2-4).

"Christ has redeemed us from THE CURSE
OF THE LAW ... [so] that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith," (Galatians 3:13-14).

"For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you
through the Gospel. Therefore I beseech you, be followers of me," (1 Corinthians
4:15-16).

James: "As the body without the spirit
is dead, so faith WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD also.

"[T]he tongue is a small member,
yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a
small fire! And the tongue is a fire. So is the Tongue among our members;
it is a world of iniquity, it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire
the cycle of nature, and is set on the Fire of Hell.

"[T]he Tongue can no man tame;
it is an unruly Evil, full of deadly poison...Who is a wise man and endued
with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works,
with the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness
in your heart, do not boast and lie against the Truth," (2:26-3:14).

"Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they
Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers
of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more.

"[T]he truth of Christ is in me, NO MAN
SHALL STOP ME OF THIS BOASTING ... The God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who is blessed for evermore, knows I'm not lying," (2 Corinthians
11:10-31).

"I say the truth in Christ, and do not
lie," (Romans 9:1).

"I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not,"
(1 Timothy 2:7).

"[B]efore God, I do not lie," (Galatians
1:20).

And to justify his preaching of living
by faith alone, Paul cites Habakkuk's 'The Righteous shall live by his
faith' in Romans 1:17.

In an interpretation of the above Habakkuk
2:4, the Dead Sea Scrolls (found only 50 years ago, in caves near Jericho)
tell us its interpretation "concerns all DOERS OF THE LAW in the House
of Judah, whom GOD WILL SAVE from the House of Judgement BECAUSE OF THEIR
WORKS AND THEIR FAITH in the Teacher of Righteousness," (7:17-8:3).

The 'Teacher of Righteousness,' or 'Righteous
Teacher,' leads a Messianic Movement befuddled by "the Spouter of Lies,
who leads many astray in order to build his city of vanity ON BLOOD and
erect an Assembly upon Lying, for the sake of his glory, tiring out many
with a worthless service and instructing them in works of Lying, so that
their works will be ofEmptiness. And they will be brought to
the same Judgements of Fire with which they insulted and vilified the Elect
of God," (Habakkuk Pesher 10:9-13).

Unlike the Spouter of Lies ("who led the
simple astray"), the Righteous Teacher "expounded the Law to his Council
and to all who freely pledged themselves to join the Elect of God TO KEEP
THE LAW in the Council of the Community, WHO SHALL BE SAVED on the Day
of Judgement," (Micah Pesher fragment).

"Those who were unfaithful together
with the Liar, [who] did not listen to the word received by the Righteous
Teacher from the mouth of God" and "who were silent at the time of the
chastisement of the Righteous Teacher and did not aid him against the Liar
WHO REJECTED THE LAW in the midst of all their Assembly" were "UNFAITHFUL
IN THE NEW COVENANT in that they have NOT BELIEVED IN THE COVENANT OF GOD
and have profaned His Holy Name," (Habakkuk Pesher 2:1-2, 5:12, 2:3).

In the Damascus Document (so named
because of its references to 'dwelling' in and 'the New Covenant' in 'the
land of Damascus'), we learn that God "visited them, and caused a Root
of Planting to grow from Israel and from Aaron [the royal tribe and the
priestly tribe], to inherit His Land and to prosper on the good things
of His earth. And they understood their sinfulness and knew that they were
guilty men. And they were like blind men and groped for the Way [the name
for early Christianity in Acts] for twenty years. And God considered their
WORKS, because they sought Him with a whole heart, and raised up for them
a Teacher of Righteousness to guide them in the Way of His heart. And he
made known to the Last Generations what He would do to the Last Generation,
to the Congregation of Traitors who were turners-aside from the Way. This
is the time about which it is written, 'Like a straying heifer, thus did
Israel stray [Hosea 4:16],' when the Man of Scoffing arose, who poured
over Israel the waters of Lying and caused them to wander in a trackless
waste with no Way, bringing low the everlasting heights, ABOLISHING THE
PATHWAYS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND REMOVING THE BOUNDARY MARKERS which the First
marked out as their inheritence. For which reason He called down on them
the curses of His Covenant, for they sought smooth things and prefered
illusions, watched for 'loopholes' and chose the easiest way. And they
justified the wicked and condemned the Righteous, and they transgressed
the Covenant and broke the Law, and they banded together against the life
of the Righteous One, and against all walkers in perfection ... They pursued
them with the sword and attempted to divide the people ... Their works
were unclean before Him.

"All among the members of the
Covenant who transgressed the boundary of the Law shall be cut off ...
However, all those who hold fast to these statutes, coming and going in
accordance with the Law ... shall listen to the voice of the Righteous
Teacher and not desert the Laws of Righteousness...and they will see His
Salvation [in Hebrew, Yeshua; in English, Jesus], because they took refuge
in His Holy Name," (1:5-2:1, 8:48-57).

Like the Jerusalem Assembly led by
James, the above community refers to itself as 'the Poor' ('Ebionites'),
interpreting that a passage in Psalm 37 "concerns the congregation of the
Poor, who shall possess the whole world as an inheritence," (Psalm 37 Pesher
3:10, for just one example). And their leader suffers the same death as
James, destruction at the hands of "the Wicked Priest, who pursued after
the Righteous Teacher to swallow him in his hot anger in his EXILED HOUSE
... He will be paid the reward which he rewarded the Poor," (Habakkuk Pesher
6:4-7:3). The Talmud (a compilation of Jewish legal traditions) tells us
that, in the time of Jesus and James, "the Sanhedrin WAS EXILED and took
up residence" outside the Temple, (Shab. 15a, R.H. 31a-b, and A.Z. 8b).

"'Righteous One, whose word we are all
obliged to accept, the people are going astray after Jesus who was crucified.
So tell us, what is meant by the Door of Jesus?' And he replied as loudly
as he could:

'Why do you question me about the Son of
Man? I tell you he is sitting in Heaven at the right hand of the Great
Power, and will come on the clouds of Heaven,'" James preaching to the
Jerusalem masses from the Temple on Passover, as preserved in Hegesippus
(E.H. 2.23).

According to Josephus, the Jews' "chief
inducement to go to war was an ambiguous oracle found in their sacred writings,
announcing that at that time a man from their country would become monarch
of the world," (Jewish War 6.310-15).

This is the ancient 'Star Prophecy' (found
in Numbers 24:17-19), and Paul knows it was being applied to Jesus in Romans
11:26; "A star shall come out of Jacob, a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.
He shall smite the temples of Moab and destroy all the children of Seth...and
Israel shall accomplish mighty deeds."

It also occurs THREE TIMES in the Dead
Sea Scrolls, and, in the Damascus Document is interpreted to apply to "the
Prince of the whole Congregation, and with his standing up [literally 'arising,'
in the sense of TO BE RESURRECTED, like the dry bones in Ezekiel 37:10]
he shall utterly destroy all the sons of Seth," (7:19-21).

In the 'War of the Sons of Light against
the Sons of Darkness' it is interpreted to mean, "By the hand of Your Messiah,
who discerned Your testimonies, You have revealed to us the times of the
battles of Your hands, so that You may glorify Yourself in front of Your
enemies and overthrow the Legions of Worthlessness, the Seven Nations of
Vanity, by the hand of thePoor Ones of Your Redemption.

"Because, by the hand of the Poor and those
Bent in the Dust will the enemies from all the lands and the Mighty Ones
of the Peoples be humbled.

"[T]he Glorious King is with us, together
with the Holy Ones, the Mighty Host of Angels are under his command, and
the Valiant Warrior is among our Assembly ... They are as clouds, clouds
of dew covering the earth, as a shower of rain shedding Judgement on all
that grows on earth. Rise up, O Hero!

"Blessed be the God of Israel, who keeps
mercy towards His Covenant, and the appointed times of Salvation with the
people He has delivered!

"Rise up! Rise up! O God of gods, raise
Yourself in might, King of Kings! May all the Sons of Darkness scatter
before You! The Light of Your Greatness will shine forth on gods and men,"
(War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness, in columns 11-14).

Josephus also tells us the first thing
the Jews did upon taking Jerusalem was to burn down "the Record Office,
eager to destroy the money-lenders' bonds, and so make impossible the recovery
of debts, in order to secure the support of an army of debtors and enable
the poor to rise with impunity against the rich," (Jewish War 2.425-9)

"Come you Rich, weep, howl over
the miseries that are coming on you. Your riches have rotted and your clothes
have become moth eaten. Your gold and silver are corroding away, and the
same corrosion will be like a testimony against you, and shall eat your
flesh like fire. It is a burning fire that you stored up as treasure for
the Last Days.

"Look, the hire of the workers who
mowed your fields -which you fraudulently held back- cries out, and the
cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord," (James 5:1-8,
counseling patience because "the coming of the Lord has come near").

And what would the Messiah do? According
to the Dead Sea Scrolls, he wqould "heal the sick, resurrect the dead,
and to the meek announce glad tidings. He will lead the Holy Ones, He will
shepherd them ... And the Law will be pursued," (The Messiah of Heaven
and Earth, fragment 1, 2:12-3:1).

Acts 15:23-33 informs us the Apostles wrote
letters to the Gentiles in "Antioch and Syria and" Southeastern Turkey,
informing them of what they were expected to do as Christians, and, in
light of this, it is interesting that pieces of two letters, addressed
to someone far away and entitled 'First and Second Letters on Works Reckoned
as Righteousness,' were found among the Scrolls, which end, "[T]his is
the End of Days, when those in Israel are to return to the Law of God with
all their heart, never to turn back again. Meanwhile, the wicked will increase
in wickedness ... Remember the kings of Israel, and understand their works.
Whoever of them feared the Law was SAVED from sufferings; when they sought
the Law, then their sins were forgiven them. Remember David. He was a man
of Pious works, and he, also, WAS SAVED from many sufferings and forgiven.
And finally, we earlier wrote you [the First letter] about some of the
works of the Law which we reckoned for your own good and for that of your
people, for we see that you possess discernment and Knowledge of the Law.
Consider all these things, and beseech Him to grant you proper council,
and to keep you far from evil thoughts and the council of worthlessness.
Then you will rejoice at the End Time, when you find some of our words
were true. Thus it will be reckoned to you as Righteousness, your having
done what is upright and good before Him, for your own good and for that
of Israel."

Surviving into the fourth century CE, Ebionites
(whose lost Gospel of the Hebrews venerated James) were viewed with disdain
by their orthodox Christian contemporaries, and considered HERETICS by
Eusebius' time, because, as he puts it, "They regarded [Jesus] as plain
and ordinary, a man esteemed as righteous through growth of character and
nothing more, the child of a normal union between a man and Mary; and they
held that they must observe every detail of the Law -that by faith in Christ
alone they would never win Salvation," (E.H. 3.27).

"For the earth will be filled
with the Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord like waters covering the sea
[2:14]. The interpretation of the passage is that in their return to God...the
Spouter of Lies, and afterwards this Knowledge, like the waters of the
sea, will be abundantly revealed to them," (Habakkuk Pesher 10:14-11:1).

e-mail: ollerj@hotmail.com

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the First Christians,
Robert Eisenman, Elementbooks inc., 1996.